New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is once again drawing attention online for his multilingual skills after sharing videos of himself speaking in Bangla, Mandarin and Spanish, along with English, to promote a new initiative offering free Broadway theatre tickets to city high school students.
In the videos posted on X, Mamdani speaks in the three languages while highlighting a program through which New York City has partnered with TDF, or Theater Development Fund, to offer more than 2,000 free Broadway theatre tickets to high school students. The tickets will be distributed through a free-to-enter lottery.
Mamdani’s ability to switch between languages has received praise from social media users, with many commenting on his pronunciation, tone and delivery.
“And now he’s speaking in Bangla as well; what can’t this man do,” one X user wrote while reacting to his Bangla video.
READ: Mamdani calls wife Rama Duwaji an ‘oasis,’ is that really a compliment in 2026? (August 15, 2026)
Another commenter, who identified as a native Bengali speaker, praised Mamdani’s fluency, writing, “Native Bengali speaker here, dude speaking better Bangla than current Gen Z in Bangladesh.”
His Bengali video also prompted comments about Bengal’s long-standing connection with art and culture.
“Bengal has a rich legacy of art, theatre, literature, and culture. From the Bengal School of Art to jatra and Kolkata’s vibrant theater scene, creativity runs deep over there! I am afraid this man’s political talent is unmatched!” another user said.
Mamdani’s Mandarin video also attracted attention.
“The NYC mayor speaks better Mandarin than I do, bye,” one X user commented.
Another user pointed to Mamdani’s delivery while appreciating his effort to pronounce the Mandarin characters carefully.
READ: The Kohinoor distraction: Why Indian Americans should look past Zohran Mamdani’s theater (
“This doesn’t sound AI since it is very staccato, which is basically what a lot of non-native Chinese speakers sound like. I do appreciate how he tries to pronounce every character well,” the user wrote.
Mamdani’s use of multiple languages is also not new to his political outreach. During his mayoral campaign, he used his language skills to connect with New York’s diverse immigrant communities and speak directly to voters in languages including Bangla, Spanish and Urdu. His multilingual campaign appearances became part of his broader effort to reach voters across different cultural and linguistic communities.
That approach has continued into his time as mayor, with Mamdani using languages beyond English to communicate about city initiatives and reach New Yorkers from different backgrounds.
The latest videos have therefore attracted attention not only because of the free theater ticket program, but also because they show Mamdani continuing to use multilingual communication as a way of engaging with the city’s diverse population.